Metal shelf-bracket.



J. OPPBNHBIMER. METAL SHELF BRACKET.

APPLICATIONHLED JUN; 15, 190s.

` Pa-tented May 4, 1909.

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A TTORNE YS JAMES OPPENHEIMER, OF OMAHA7 NEBRASKA.

METAL SHELF-BRACKET.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented May 4, 1909.

Application led June 15, 1908. Serial No. 438,628.

To all 'who/m, t may concern.

Bc it known that I, JAMES Orrnnrmiirnn, a citizen of the United States, residing at Omaha, in the county of Douglas and State of Nebraska, have invented a new and useful Metal Shelf-Bracket, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to brackets for supporting shelves and the like and has for its object to provide a comparatively simple and inexpensive device of this character capable of being readily attached to or detached from a wall or other suitable support without the employment of a screwdriver or similar tool.

A further object is to provide a bracket including an attaching plate and a removable looped shelf-supporting arm adapted to' engage perforated lugs formed on the attaching plate thereby to slupport the shelf in position on the wall.

)L still further object of the invention is generally to improve this class of devices so as to increase their utility, durability and efliciency well as to reduce the cost of manufacture.

Further objects and advantages will appear in the following description.

In the accompanying drawings forming a part of this specification: Figure l is a perspective view of a shelf supporting bracket constructed in accordance with my invention showing the same in position on a wall. Fig. Q is a side elevation partly in section. Fig. 3 is a perspective view of one of the attaching plates. E ig. 4t is a longitudinal sectional view of Fig. 3. Fig. 5 is a perspective view of one of the fastening devices detached. Fig. 6 is a similar view illustrating a modified form of fastening device. l

Similar numerals of reference indicate corresponding parts in all of the gures of the drawings.

The improved device consists of an attaching plate 5 preferably formed of a singie piece of metal having a flat bearing surface 6 for engagement with a wall or other suitable support, indicated at 7.

Formed in the opposite ends of the plate 5 are a plurality of openings or apertures S for the reception of suitable fastening devices 9.

The fastening devices 9 are provided with threaded shanks 10 and laterally extending finger pieces l1 which form extended bearing surfaces for the ngers whereby the fastening devices may be readily screwed into the wall without the employment of an ordinary screw-driver.

The metal forming the attaching plate is stamped or otherwise formed with spaced outwardly extending ears or lugs l2 having alined perforations 13 formed therein for the reception of the adjacent ends of the shelf-supporting arms lit.

The shelf-supporting arms let are each preferably formed of a single piece of wire an intermediate portion of which is bent to produce a loop l5 adapted to receive a shelf 1G, the arm la after the loop l5 is formed being bent laterally in opposite directions, as indicated at 1T for engagement with the perforati ons 13 in the laterally extending ears or lugs of the attaching plate. lt will here be noted that the free ends of the arms la: are bent laterally to produce angularly disposed fingers 1S, which latter serve to pre-` vent accidental withdrawal of the arms from the perforations 13 when a heavy load is supported on the shelf.

In using the brackets the latter are positioned on a wall or other suitable support and secured thereto by means of the fastening devices D, after which the strands of the spring arms llt are pressed together and the angular terminals 18 thereof introduced in the perforations 13 of the ears or lugs l2 and then swung laterally until they are disposed at substantially right angles to the attaching plate. The shelf 1G is then passed through the loops 1.3 of the supporting arms and said loops swung laterally in opposite directions toward the adjacent ends of the shelf thereby clamping the shelf in engagement with the wall and effectually preventing accidental displacen'ient of the same.

ln order to remove the shelf it is merely necessary to swing the arms 14E to a position in alinement with the plates when the shelf may be withdrawn from the loops l5 and the angular fingers 18 of the arms removed from the perforated ears by pressing the strands of the arms toward each other,' 'as will be readily understood.

By employing the fastening devices 9 to secure the bracket in position on the wall, the use of a screw-driver, hammer or similar tool is dispensed with while by having the opposite ends of the attaching plate formed with a plurality of spaced perforations or apertures should the fastening devices 9 fail to engage the laths or beams in the Wall the same may be readily removed from the apertures and positioned in adjacent apertures so that the fastening devices may be driven into the laths or beams and thus form a lirin support for the brackets.

'n Fig. 6 of the drawing there is illustrated a modilied form of fastening device in which one end of the shank l0 is bent to torni an open eye or coil 19 Which constitutes a linger piece so that said fastening device may be readily screwed into the Wall or other support.

Having thus described the invention what is claimed is:

The combination with spaced supporting plates having` spaced perforated ears extending laterally therefrom7 brackets extending at right angles to the plates and each formed from a single strand of Wire bent upon itself to produce a horizontally disposed loop open at its rear end and having vertically spaced upper and lower parallel walls, the Wire forming` the parallel walls of each loop being bent laterally in opposite directions at the open end of said loop to produce diverging` arms, the terminals of which are inclined outwardly to forni angularly disposed tingers adapted to enter the perforations in the ears of the adjacent supporting plate from the inner races ot said ears and project through and beyond the outer t'aces ot said ears, said loops being horizontally alined and adapted to receive and support a shelt'.

in testimony that l claim the foregoing` as my own, have hereto aiiixed my signature in the presence ot tivo Witnesses.

JAMES OPPENIHSHQR.

Wlitnesses: A

YV. l. Qtfhiitfenxnssr, f JOHN D. Davis. 

